Anish Giri warns of ‘pressure’ and ‘aura loss’ as Gukesh gets ready to face Sindarov

Dutch chess Grandmaster Anish Giri has spoken over the pre-world championship showdown between challenger Javokhir Sindarov and defending champion D Gukesh. The duo recently locked horns at the Grand Chess Tour: Super Rapid & Blitz Poland 2026.

Sindarov became the challenger to the world chess crown by emerging victorious at the 2026 FIDE Candidates with an unbeaten score of 10/14. The Uzbek GM pocketed a €70,000 and his World Championship match against the reigning champion, Gukesh, will take place later this year.

Giri dissects Gukesh-Sindarov duel

Anish underlined that world champion Gukesh and challenger Sindarov finishing sixth and seventh at the Grand Chess Tour: Super Rapid & Blitz highlighted how competitive chess had become.  

"It was nice to see that chess is so competitive that even these two players were so good, they didn't even fight for the top places. They finished sixth and seventh, which is fine, but it's just really competitive these days and chess got really strong," Anish Giri said to Chessbase India.

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Anish Giri also believes that immense pressure is one of the biggest challenges young chess stars like Gukesh and Sindarov must learn to navigate.

Reflecting on Gukesh’s journey after becoming world champion, Giri explained that success initially brings a natural “aura” and confidence boost, but sustaining that level is far more difficult once expectations rise.

According to Giri, constant scrutiny and pressure can slowly chip away at that aura, making it mentally challenging even for elite players to maintain momentum consistently.

Sindarov to challenge Gukesh for the crown

At the 2026 GCT Super Rapid & Blitz tournament, Gukesh clinched a win in the rapid clash vs Sindarov in 52 moves with black pieces and celebrated the victory with a rare fist pump.

But Sindarov turned things around in Blitz after defeating the reigning world champion twice in two days. The Uzbek GM displayed tactical sharpness and intensity, while Gukesh crumbled under time pressure.

The duo's competitiveness has perfectly set up the stage for a riveting World Chess Championship later in the year. The dates are yet to be determined, but FIDE has begun the bidding process to determine the host for the much-anticipated showdown.